


Intelligence Theory

by Slaskia



Series: No-Tongue [1]
Category: Aliens (1986)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-09-30
Updated: 2005-09-30
Packaged: 2017-11-15 15:56:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 12,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/528980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slaskia/pseuds/Slaskia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part 1 of No-Tongue's story series. A young xenomorph is captured for scientific research and learns things no Xeno had bothered to before, but is soon forced to choose between his own kind and friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The forest was quiet, peaceful, save for the occasional buzz of insects, the songs of the local birds, and the sound of morning dew landing on the damp soil after dripping off the leaves from high in the canopy.  In addition, were the soft, barely audible sounds of foot falls from the forests more recent occupants. Xenomorphs, or ‘Aliens’ as they were more commonly known as. 

There were two of them, both about the same size and shape, their carapaces a shiny black.  One however, choose to walk solely like a quadruped, where the other alternated between locomotion methods.   The ‘switcher’ had lines of various depths here and there across it’s body, a few of it’s tail spines missing: the mark of a seasoned warrior.  The other was the younger of the pair, it’s carapace relatively unscathed, and the spines on the last foot or so on it’s tail were elongated, as it’s host had been partly aquatic in nature. 

This pair of xeno’s where making their way back to the hive after an all night scouting trip.  The goal had been to find new sources of food and hosts for the hive, as the immediate surrounding area had been all but cleaned out of suitable victims. Now much of the hive was starting to starve as more and more hunts ended in failure: their queen had even halted producing eggs to conserve resources.  It was becoming more likely they will have to risk moving the whole hive to a new location. 

Suddenly the younger of the two xeno's paused in it's stride, then changed it's direction.  The more senior of the pair hissed questioningly and hesitated a moment before following, a low hiss emanating from it sounding like an annoyed sigh when it got no response.  ‘Switcher’ didn’t have to follow it’s younger xeno far before it realized what had gotten it’s partner’s attention.  Unlike other members of the hive, the younger xeno had a sense of curiosity that would surely cause it’s end some day.  Fortunately, what caught the xeno’s ‘eye’ was far from dangerous. 

It was a very large plant with long thin leaves surrounding it’s base many layers deep.  These were rarely seen in the forest and obviously the younger xeno had never seen one before, who was circling around it, sniffing it.  The moment it had touched it though, the leaves all snapped up, forming a bud over the plant.  The sudden movement startled the young xeno, who jumped back, landing on it’s rump.  Slowly the plant unfolded itself again and the xeno poked it again, with the result the same as before.   Seeing this as a fun game, the young xeno continued the cycle.  The older one gave another one of those sighs and sat down, knowing it could be awhile before the other xeno got bored of this ‘new thing’. 

The morning dew had all but dried up by the time the young xeno had grown bored of the game and wanted to move on.  They were already late in returning to the hive and ‘Switcher’ just wanted to get home.  Before they took two steps though a sound drew both of their attention.  Not just any sound though: the voice of a humanoid. 

Neither xeno needed to discuss what needed to be done: they both hid.  Switcher took to the trees, while the younger xeno jumped onto the plant it had been teasing earlier, it’s leaves snapping up to conceal it.  Inside the plant, the xeno bit and scratched through the leaves until it had an opening it could see through. 

It wasn't cowardice that guided their reactions, as xenomorphs were hardly afraid of anything.  Instead, they were positioning themselves for possible attack, as ambush was their greatest weapon in absence of superior numbers.  Going by the number of voices they heard, they were definitely outnumbered. 

The younger xeno heard 'Switcher' make a mental call for any other xeno's in their area to converge on their position.  However being only a warrior, it's call paled in strength and distance compared to their Queens, meaning the chances of more of their kind being close enough to hear it was low.  That meant they will be forced to face these humanoids alone.  Again fear was not on their minds as they patiently waited for the humanoids to come closer, rather it was elation, as these men will not only mean new hosts for the hive but food as well.  

The first man finally stepped into view, followed closely by two more and the xeno's bodies tensed, ready to spring.  This was the first time the younger xeno had seen the creatures that called themselves 'humans' and it felt it's sense of curiosity raise.  It nearly pushed it's way out of it's hiding place to get a better look at them, but a strong mental warning from 'Switcher' forced it to stay put. So instead the xeno was forced to be content with listening. 

Such odd means of communication these humans used: various howls, grunts and hisses formed by their mouths.  Rather unsophisticated compared to the hives mental voice.  Sure they made vocal sounds, but those were used more as empathsis to the mental at close range.  Unsophisticated yes, but the young xeno was fascinated by it, listening intently.  Through the emotional tones of their voices it started to comprehend what they were saying: fear, puzzlement, confusion, indifference, even a bit of annoyance.  Overwhelmingly the xeno got the feeling they were hunting, which was visually confirmed by the gear they carried.  But what where they hunting? 

One of the men suddenly knelt down and inspected something on the ground and their voices took on an excited tone, their weapons suddenly raised and ready.  They seem to have found a trace of what they were looking for, but there was nothing living here they could hunt. 

Except them.

The realization hit the young xeno like sickening drunken wave: these humans must be extermination squads their hive had heard about, humans that hunted them.  Worse, they knew they were in the immediate area.  The xeno started sending a mental warning to 'Switcher', but it was too late.  With a battle cry 'Switcher' had leapt from it's hiding place, it's tail snapping forward like a snake.  But it's strike never got to land on it's intended victim, as an arc of blue thin fire suddenly enveloped 'Switcher', blowing him back and making him convulse violently and uncontrollably.  

'Switcher's' scream of pain tore through the young xeno's mind, prompting it to act. It burst from the plant with a fury of claws and snapping of jaws, pouncing upon the human closest to it.  But no matter how much he clawed or bit he couldn't harm the human and with surprising gentleness the other men grabbed it and pulled it off him.  Instinctively the xeno whirled around to attack the one that handled him, only for the blue fire to find him.  The young xeno dropped to the ground, unable to control it's own body as the electricity coursed through it.  Just as the pain stopped and the xeno started getting back it's senses, one of the men shot it.  

The xeno 'yelped' in pain as a long thin tube attached itself to it's hide.  With a loud hiss of defiance the xeno ripped the offensive thing off it, it's corrosive blood leaking in a thin stream down it's arm briefly.  Strangely the men kept their distance from it, weapons lowered and non threatening.  It started to dash forward to attack them again, but ended up tripping over it's own limbs.  It felt tired for some reason, when it knew it shouldn't be.  Determined it tried to reach the humans, only for it's limbs to get heavier and heavier with each step.  Finally it's limbs gave out completely and the world itself started to get dark as a forced sleep overtook it, wondering why they weren't using the force it had heard these humans used against their kind. 

Just before it lost consciousness completely a human approached it and draped a net over it's unresponsive form and understanding came. 

They wanted them alive.


	2. Chapter 2

Arthur Jinkens ran a hand through this jet black hair as he reviewed the database that contained all known information on the Aliens once again.  Most of it was common facts that even the lowest grunt or intern knew about, but those didn't help him any with the project he was starting.   All the Corporation cared about with these creatures was how they could be used as a weapon, nevermind learning the intricacies of their biology and, Arthur's personal interest, their level of intelligence.  He knew as a collective the Alien's were intelligent enough to solve complex problems and have shown in the past tactics that could make a well decorated General jealous, but he was curious about the individual level of intelligence of these creatures.  

Naturally the Corporation wouldn't fund such a 'waste' of research and other agencies were more interested in wiping the creatures out then studying them.  So getting the support he needed to fund this project had been difficult.  Fortunately one of the agencies involved in extermination took him in, on the reasoning that the better they understood the Alien from every angle the better they would be able to exterminate them.  Of course this meant they had to capture a specimen or two for him to conduct the research and the Aliens were proving to be difficult if not next to impossible to capture.  So far, the squads ended up having to kill the creatures they were trying to capture to prevent one of their own from getting killed.  The armor they wore protected them from many of their attacks, but the Aliens were quick to learn to attack body parts that _weren't_ protected if the scuffle went on too long.  

The problem was completely subduing them without killing them.  The creatures were strong enough to rip through nets and steel restraints with ease, plus trying to apply these devices to such fast moving creatures was next to impossible.  Tasers were found to be some what effective at subduing them, but the effect didn't last long enough to be any more then a delaying tactic and sustained application wasn't feasible.  On top of that the squads only had a limited number of attempts to capture the creatures per hive before the hive as whole became fully aware of their presence.  Arthur has been with this agency for five hive runs so far and he was starting to feel like dead weight.   If he didn't get a specimen soon to start his research he may end up losing his backing and find himself dumped off at the nearest colony. 

"Professor Jinkens."  A voice said, making him nearly jump out of his skin.  Arthur turned around to see Captain Halus standing in the door way to his lab.  The man looked like he should be a General going by the scars on his face and generally 'worn' appearance he looked, a testament of what must have been years of fighting against the Alien, but apparently a lot of political red tape had kept him from being right fully promoted.  Or so he heard. 

"Yes Captain?"  Arthur replied. 

"Those improvised tranquilizers you whipped up did the trick." The Captain said with a smile. "We finally got you a couple of bugs.  Bravo team is on it's way back with them right now." 

Arthur breathed a visible sigh of relief.  "I would like to see them as soon as they arrive if you don't mind." 

"I don't think that will be a problem, provided they don't start waking up before we get them to the pens." 

*** 

He met the team in the hanger as they started to unload their living 'cargo'.  Arthur found himself unable to contain himself as he rushed forward to get a better look at them. 

"Can't wait to get close to your new pets eh Doc?"  One of the soldiers joked.  "Got them nice and gift wrapped for you." 

Arthur laughed as he strained to get a good look at them, which was difficult due to the netting wrapped around them. This was the first time he's been this close to one and they looked bigger then they did in the pictures.  "Were there any physical differences between them?" He asked, knowing they tended to take on some of the physical characteristics of their hosts. 

"Damn if I know."  The soldier replied. "They all look alike to me.  Big, black, and mean looking." 

"We'll find out for sure when I examine them.  How long have they been out?" 

"We packed up and left the planet as soon as we got them."  Another soldier replied.  "Didn't want to risk them waking up and breaking out while we were paying a visit to their hive, so a little over an hour, no more." 

"So it should be nearly another hour before they start to awaken."  Arthur mused.  I would like to do a quick examination of them before putting them into the pens, if you don't mind." 

"Hey, they are your bugs now, so you're the boss." 

At Arthur's prompting the soldiers unwrapped the first Alien.  This one looked to be a standard hive drone, nothing special at all about it.  It was also well marked, meaning it had to be of a decent age for an Alien.  This was disappointing to Arthur as, if the Alien's were consistent with other beings, older individuals were more set in their ways and not very likely to give him much in the way of new information.  With a sigh he had the soldiers rewrap the Alien in the netting and take it to the pens.  He didn't say anything about his disappointment as by this point he couldn't afford to be picky. 

The second one lifted his spirits dramatically.  Not only was it's body structure different from the first, but it's cowl was still mostly smooth.  If findings from other studies were accurate, this meant this one was young, _very_ young.  Hopefully, this meant it will be as impressionable as other young animals are.  If so, this was the best specimen he could have hoped for.  

He had the soldiers carry it to the lab, where he could examine the Alien more thoroughly.  Once there he started taking measurements and other readings, noting length, height and weight.  He also discovered this Alien wasn't actually black but more of a very dark greyish blue, with large patches of blue green on the underside of it's elongated head, triceps, biceps, calf and thigh muscle locations.  It was built like a quadruped and the end of it's tail hinted at a host that may have been partly aquatic in nature.  The most interesting feature was when he dared to examine it's mouth. 

"What the...." Arthur said as he peered into the Alien's opened maw. 

"What is it professor?"  One of the soldiers asked. 

"Shine a flashlight into it's mouth for me please."  Arthur replied. 

With a shrug the soldier complied and saw what Arthur saw, or rather, didn't see.  "Where's it's second jaw set?" The soldier asked. 

"Apparently it doesn't have one..."  Arthur said.  "Doesn't look like it's missing as a result of trauma.  Must have been born this way." 

"Well, guess this means it has one less means to kill us...." 

The professor managed a chuckle.  "You can go ahead and put this one in an empty pen." 

"Why not put it with the other one?"  The soldier asked. 

"That one is going to be my control subject and you don't put your control and test subjects together." 

"Whatever you say professor..."


	3. Chapter 3

Consciousness returned slowly and at first the young Xeno couldn't sense that something was very different with it's surroundings.  Then it hit it like a sledge hammer across the multiple senses.  The chamber it was in looked nothing like the hive, the walls unnaturally smooth and shiny.  The floors was covered with loose material similar to the stuff that grew outside the hive, but not attached to ground and after doing some brief digging, found the floor to be really made of the same material as the walls.  Nothing smelled familiar to it, no hint of it's kin anywhere in this small space.  Perhaps most frightening was that it could no longer hear it's Queen. 

A feeling it had never felt before overwhelmed it: panic.   They lived for and served their Queen and without her they were next to nothing.  The young Xeno hissed and wailed, trying feebly to contact it's kin, it's Queen.  But by now it was either too far away from her or, worse still, She could be dead, slain by the humans that had captured it. 

Why?  Why take it away from their Queen?  Why not just destroy it like they had no doubt done to it's kin rather then subject it to an existence of solitude without purpose or direction?  What did they intend to do to it? 

The sensations were brief and desperateness soon replaced despair.  It scanned the chamber again more closely, looking for anything that may give it a means of escape and enable it to return to it's Queen. 

Up there.  An opening covered with thin bars.  After gathering it's limbs, the xeno leapt up, grasping the bars with both hands. The walls afforded little purchase, it's hind feet slipping despite the sharpness of it's claws. But it's front limbs were strong and it could hang on to those bars almost indefinitely if it wanted to, however the opening was little more then a vent allowing fresh air to enter, too small for it to squeeze through.  With a disappointed growl it dropped back to the floor and started looking for another means of escape. 

There, a square outline on one of the walls it's sonar detected.  A door?  Had to be, how else could they have put it in here?  It tried to grip the edges of this door, but the seams were so thin it could not get a good hold on it.  Then it attacked the door, throwing it's full weight against it in hopes of knocking it down.  It didn't even so much as buckle.  After a couple more attempts at knocking it down, it retreated to the center of the room and sat down much like a feline would, panting., realizing it was pointless to continue wasting it's energy this way. 

Something had to happen here soon or later.   Something that may give it an opportunity to escape.  It will wait....for however long it took. 

*** 

The differences between the two Aliens was already becoming apparent to Arthur as he watched them on the monitor.  While both showed signs of distress at being separated from their hive and searched for means of escape, only the older one was still scratching at the door.  The younger, tongue~less one had already figured out brute force wasn't going to get it out of confinement and was now sitting patiently in the center of it's pen.  It knew _something_ would happen eventually. 

Arthur jotted down a few notes about their individual behavior before picking up the field report the soldiers gave him before they departed for planetside again.  The report stated that besides the Aliens, there they saw little other signs of fauna besides birds, small mammals, and a few reptilians and even those were scarce.   The hive was apparently in a location that couldn't replace it's animal life quickly enough to sustain the hive for much longer.  That meant the hive was no doubt in a state of distress and weaker then other hives they have encountered.  This was confirmed by the size measurements of the two Aliens in the pens: both had less weight then what could be considered the 'norm' for their species.  

"You two must be hungry."  Arthur thought outloud.  Fortunately for them since he had planned on keeping an Alien or two alive for an extended period of time he was prepared.  Looking down at the control board, he flipped a couple of switches.  He wasn't exactly eager to see what happened next, but he reminded himself that not all aspects of research were pleasant.... 

*** 

There was a sudden sound.  It came from behind the door.  The Xeno rose to it's feet, it's limbs tensing and ready for action.  The door slid up suddenly and something appeared in it.  It didn't even reached it's shoulder in height, was furry and making a frightened bleating sound as it was pushed into the chamber with the Xeno by grate.  The grate started to retreat and the Xeno thought about making a dash for it, but the door slammed down before it could take a single step.  Escape denied, the Xeno turned it's attention to the animal, which tried to run away from it when it approached it.  It cried out in panic and struggled when the Xeno grabbed it by the leg and lifted it off the ground.  Sitting back, the Xeno carefully inspected the creature.  It had seen small furry animals in the forest before, but not like this one, so it sniffed, poked and played it, until hunger finally won out over it's curiosity.  It killed the animal with a simple bite to the neck and hungrily feed off it's tender flesh. 

*** 

Now this was interesting.  Instead of killing the lamb outright like the older Alien had done, this Alien took the time to look it over.  For what purpose Arthur could not know.  Was it a picky eater and wanted to be sure it was clean?  Or was it simply just curious about a creature it's likely never seen before?  It would be a good sign if it proved to be the latter, as curiosity was a trait of more intelligent beings.  

Arthur quickly included these findings with the rest of his notes: despite the delay, this project was having a very promising start....


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur didn't do anything special with the Aliens for the next couple of days, allowing them to settle into a routine.  No-Tongue, the name he dubbed the younger of the two Aliens, hadn't done anything special with the other lambs he gave it as food since the first one, leaving Arthur to conclude it was curiosity that fuelled it's behavior.  The older one had calmed down, but spent most of it's time in the corner of it's pen and didn't move until feeding time, not even when the daily cleaning spay swept through the chamber.  No-Tongue however seemed to try all sorts of things to keep itself amused, fooling around with whatever was available in it's pen.  Arthur couldn't help but chuckle when it bunched up all the hay into a pile then jumped into it one day, then repeated the process several times until it got bored with the game. This Alien was reminding him of a five year child. 

But the time of just watching it do things without any prompting was over, as No-Tongue will no doubt start to fade like the older Alien if he didn't keep it stimulated.  So this time, feeding was going to be a little different.... 

*** 

Even though there was no means of telling the time in it's prison, the young Xeno knew when it was feeding time, even before the telltale sound behind the door sounded.  In fact it had gotten into the habit of sitting itself by the door just before the 'dinner bell' rang and that's what it was doing now.  The sound came and the door opened, but something was different this time.  Instead of the animal that was usually given as food, it was a big metal box with holes along the top edge. 

The Xeno titled it's head to one side, confused, before standing up and walking around the new object.  As it inspected it, it smelled the animal instead and heard it's faint cries.  For some reason the humans had put it in the box to keep it from eating it, but if they didn't want it to eat it then why put it in here?  No matter, the Xeno was hungry and it would figure out how to get to the animal and feed on it's tender flesh. 

It tried reaching the animal through the holes, but the holes were too small to fit it's whole hand in and it's fingers were too short to reach it.  Then it tried to simply rip the metal apart, but it couldn't get enough grip or leverage to do much damage.  A strike with it's barbed tail only dented it.   Starting to get frustrated, it circled the box a few times.  They had to put the animal in it some how and it was likely that same method it needed to discover to get it out.  This time it inspected the box more carefully, looking for a clue.  Through it's sonar, it discovered the top side was different, noting two sets of small seams on one side.  Looking closer, it found another seam that followed around the top edge. 

The Xeno emitted a low hiss and nudged the top edge with it's snout.  It moved.  With an excited squeel it reared onto it's hind legs and used it's hands to lift what proved to be a lid up.  It then grabbed the animal within. 

*** 

Typical brute force attempts, then careful examination and finally resolution.  The Alien seemed excited when it solved the puzzle, which took it a little longer then Arthur thought it would for such a simple one.  But he reminded himself this was new territory of research in regards to intelligence: there was going to be things he didn't expect. 

Like....No-Tongue, after it had finished eating, jumping _into_ the box, closing the lid upon itself, then bursting out.  Arthur watched as No-Tongue paused and briefly made a sort of stuttered hissing sound: was that a laugh?  Then repeated the game several more times before getting bored with it.   It tried several other things with the box, making Arthur laugh a couple of times, before it finally became completely bored and laid down to sleep. 

_This guy really is like a kid..._ Arthur thought with a smile.  _But will this Alien start to show a more 'mature' level of intelligence?_  

Only time would tell... 

*** 

It's been several weeks since the project started and No-Tongue successfully solved puzzle after puzzle.  What pleased Arthur even more was that the Alien continued to take such pride in solving the puzzles, it even figured out how to reset some of them, just so it could solve them again.  It still acted a bit like a kid after the puzzle was solved, but Arthur decided that was part of it's overall personality.   No matter what the reason, it was time to move the project in a new direction. 

It was time to see what an Alien was capable of learning. 

*** 

The sound was different today and early: it wasn't time for feeding yet.  The Xeno looked up at door, wondering what was going to happen and watched the door open and stay open.   The Xeno watched the doorway for a moment, waiting for something to come out: nothing did.  Cautiously it approached the doorway and looked down the darkness of the corridor beyond.  Was it meant to go through here now? 

Seeing no other reason, the Xeno took a few of cautious steps into the corridor.  The door suddenly decided now was the time to close and the Xeno jumped as it slammed shut behind it.  Now it was trapped in the corridor, with going forward it's only option.  Curious now as to what this all about and wondering if this was just another puzzle, the Xeno strode forward.  The darkness of the corridor was no hindrance to the Xeno, it's sonar and other senses enabling it to 'see' it's surroundings better then any human could hope to.  As it traveled, it could tell there were other doors, but they were closed and wouldn't budge.  Only a single path was offered, a path that turned a few times before the Xeno could see a light up ahead.  Breaking into a run the Xeno burst out of the corridor into a chamber much larger then the one it had been staying in. 

The floor was covered with the same stuff as in the previous chamber and the chamber itself wasn't void of everything but itself: there were a few objects in here.  There was a series of bars and some round things of various sizes, but before the Xeno could start to inspect these things, it suddenly realized it wasn't alone in this room....


	5. Chapter 5

There was a human standing on the far side of the room.  It was dressed much more loosely then the humans that had captured it, but a human was still a human.  The Xeno hissed threateningly, a tickle of revenge coming to mind for it's defeat by these creatures before.  It could see that it was unarmed, thus easy prey. Without further hesitation, the Xeno sprang at the human, only to collide with something it's sonar couldn't detect until the very last second.  If it had proper eyes the resulting flash would have temporarily blinded it. 

Dazed, the Xeno staggered a moment, before shaking it off and looking up at the human in puzzlement.  It cursed itself mentally for not realizing the oblivious: the human was far too calm and unconcerned considering it was in the same room with it, meaning it had a different means of protecting itself.  In this case it was some sort of barrier instead of a weapon.   Cautiously it reapproached the human, stopping just before the barrier that showed up as a sparkly semi~transparent wall in it's sonar.  Experimentally it poked at the barrier, finding the spot it touched 'solidified' in it's sonar even more.  Forgetting the human for the moment, it poked and stabbed at the barrier for several minutes before the human spoke. 

The Xeno focused it's gaze back on the human, hearing sounds and seeing it's mouth move, but not understanding what it was saying.  It's tone hinted at a fascination with it that was nearly as great as the Xeno's own curiosity, but beyond that it had no clue what it was trying to say.  The human kept talking, it's paws moving in gestures foreign in meaning to the Xeno and suddenly the Xeno realized it was doing: it was trying to communicate with it. 

No human had even bothered trying to 'talk' to it's kind from the Xeno's recollection, or from what other Xeno's and it's Queen told it: on the whole they were more interested in trying to destroy their proud race.  Was this human trying to learn secrets it could use against it's kind?  Whatever the reason, the Xeno found itself to be eager to try to communicate back with the human, if only to satisfy it's own curiosity of humans.  It attempted to send a mental message to the human, emitting a low questioning hiss, asking why it was captured.   It didn't know if humans could 'hear' the mental voice or not. 

The human seemed to have 'heard' something, as it took a step back, it's eyes wide in surprise.  But did it understand what it said?  It wanted to read it's mind to find the answers for itself, but only the Queen had that ability. 

*** 

Arthur had a new respect for the Alien's speed now.  Though he was expecting the Alien to attempt to attack him, he wasn't expecting it to be that fast: he jumped back a bit despite himself.  Fortunately the Alien didn't keep attempting to get at him, in fact it's attention turned completely to the force field Arthur had erected between them.  

He watched the Alien inspect the field, fascinated by it's behavior.  It obviously realized he was no threat and could afford to ignore him, but Arthur didn't want it to ignore him. 

"You find everything that's new to you fascinating don't you?" He asked it. He did not expect the Alien to understand his question, or anything he said for that matter, but he needed to get the Alien's attention somehow.  It worked.  The Alien 'looked' his way, forgetting the field. 

"For countless decades our two species have clashed."  Arthur said.  "You just want to survive and reproduce and we see you as a threat to our lives.  Many people see you as nothing but animals, but I don't believe that.  I believe you are far more intelligent then people give you credit for, but I need your help to prove it.  To do that, we need to learn how to understand each other.  But how to break that communication barrier...." 

The Alien's attention held, seemingly interested in his words, but whether or not it understood him was another question. 

Then, he felt a 'tickle' in his mind, at the same time the Alien emitted a low hiss.  He stepped back, eyes wide in surprise.  What was that?  Did it come from the Alien?  He felt it again a moment later, with the same audible hiss from the Alien.  Yes, it was trying to communicate with him, but what was it trying to say?  It was a subject of curiosity with a few other scientists on how they communicated with each other, but no one had bothered testing any theories they had: one of the theories was telepathy.  With that in mind Arthur focused his mind on the Alien, hoping it would try to 'talk' to him again. 

The Alien seemed to recognize that he was making an effort to understand him and did repeat it's message a third time, the hiss the same as the previous two times.  It was more then a 'tickle' this time, but all he comprended was that it was a question.  It was a start though.  "I'd love to answer whatever your question was."  Arthur said. "But before I can, we need to work together to break down this communications barrier.  And that will take time...." 

*** 

The Xeno sat back on it's haunches, slightly frustrated.  The human seemed to have understood the extremely basic premises of it's message, but didn't understand what the message itself was.  The human however, going by it's tone and body language, appeared willing to try to improve it's understanding of the mental voice. 

So was the Xeno.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been a testing several months for both scientist and Xeno, but with little progress.  While No-Tongue showed it now understood him, he still couldn't understand the telepathic sendings from No-Tongue beyond the emotional and basic premises of the message.  Without a sure means of understanding the Xeno speech, people will think it was just trained like an animal could be.  He did determine the hisses were used as further empathesis behind the message for those in earshot and possibly as simple messages by themselves, but he couldn't be sure without No-Tongue confirming it.  It was starting to seem that one had to be a telepath to truly understand telepathy. 

"Doesn't look like I'll ever understand you..."  Arthur moaned one day while sitting in his usual spot behind the force field.  "I just don't have the knack for your means of speech." 

No-Tongue tilted it's head at him, then suddenly slapped the force field, the resulting flash causing Arthur to fall over backward.  _~Don't give up!~_   It hissed angrily. 

Arthur blinked in shock, did he just....? 

"I understood that..."  He said quietly, righting himself.  "You told me not to give up...." 

 _~But which part did you understand?~_ It asked, the vocal questioning hiss along with it. 

"This part..."  Arthur tapped his head.  "But how...." 

 _~I only just figured out how to...convert...the mind speech into a form you would understand.~_ It replied. 

"So it wasn't me all along that was holding this up...." 

 _~Hey...it's hard to learn a new 'language' when you grew up only knowing one your whole life.~_  

"Point.  I could never get anywhere in foreign language courses." 

 _~Then how could you have hoped to learn mine?~_   Arthur could have sworn the Alien had a little grin on it's face. 

"Great...the first Alien I've learned to communicate with has a sarcastic streak..." 

No-Tongue made that stuttering hissing sound: it was laughing at him. 

"That's not funny...."  Arthur paused a moment before asking. "Do you have a name?" 

No-Tongue's lips folded over it's teeth and it turned it's head away.  _~A lowly drone like me don't usually get names: only the guard and the Queen are privileged with them. Some did dub me with a name though, more to poke fun at me then anything else.  I can't think of how it would be pronounced in your speech, but it means 'No tongue'.~_  

"How...ironic..."  Arthur said, now feeling guilty. 

 _~What...you refer to me as 'no tongue' too?~_ Arthur couldn't detect any emotion. 

"Uh....I didn't dub you as such to be offensive...." 

No-Tongue laughed. _~Don't worry about it.  I actually like the name: marks me as different from every other drone. Conformists...all of them.  No fun.~_  

"With an attitude like that I imagine you didn't get along with your Queen." 

 _~Oh I behaved myself when it comes to Her and Her guards, it's the drones I loved to drive crazy.  I especially liked to annoy Switcher....the old coot.~_  

"Switcher?  Was that..."  Arthur didn't feel it would be right to refer to No-Tongue or any other Alien as an 'it' now. "'his' name?" 

 _~Not officially.  That's just what I dubbed him: can't make up his mind on how to walk.  I wonder what happened to him: he was with me when I was captured....~_  

Arthur rubbed his head nervously, not sure how No-Tongue will take the news.  "He's alive, but not taking the separation from the hive very well.  I think he may be going slowly insane...."  

What had to be the Alien equivalent of a frown formed on No-Tongue's face.  _~Why didn't you just return him home then?~_  

"I couldn't."  Arthur explained. "There's no home for him to go back to anymore." 

No-Tongue gave a short screech and took a step back in shock.   _~My hive...is....gone?~_  It was evident that No-Tongue had thought of the likely hood, but was hoping it hadn't been true. 

"I'm sorry."  Arthur said sorrowfully.  "The only way I was able to obtain one of you to learn how to communicate with your kind was to join an agency that specialized in hunting you down.  No other agency wanted anything to do with research that could put a 'human face' on you and even this agency I am with now only agreed as long as the information I discovered could be used against you." 

 _~So...my capture was indeed so you could learn to kill my people better.~_ No-Tongue said bitterly. 

"That wasn't _my_ intent." Arthur insisted. "I couldn't obtain you safely on my own: your people would have killed me on sight, never mind trying to talk to me.  If there had been a different way, I would have taken it." 

No-Tongue hissed in disgust, walked to the far side of the room and laid down.  

"No-Tongue...I'm sorry, I can only help that what we learn from you we can use to stop the slaughter of your people." 

 _~Just leave me alone...~_ Came the sharp response. 

Arthur sighed and stood up to leave: there was no point in trying communicate any more with him for today and he could only hope the Alien would chose to talk to him again.  In the meantime he needed to make a report on his findings.


	7. Chapter 7

For the next week Arthur gave No-Tongue his space, not wanting to push his luck with the Alien: he didn't even look at the monitors.  He couldn't help but feel eager to actually 'talk' the No-Tongue again, wanting to know and understand everything about him and he suspected No-Tongue was just as curious about him.  When he finally went to the room to see him, he found No-Tongue waiting for him at the force field. 

 _~Took you long enough.~_  He quipped. 

"If you were ready to talk, why didn't you contact me?"  Arthur asked. 

 _~Drone mind speech is short range.~_ No-Tongue explained. _~And I couldn't risk doing a general 'broadcast' to get your attention.~_  

"Didn't want anyone else to hear you in other words?" 

 _~More like I didn't want to cause ship wide panic.~_  

"That's understandable. So did you want to talk about anything specific?" 

There was a long pause as No-Tongue thought it over. _~Tell me about your kind, where you came from and such.~_  

"Ok, history happens to be my worse subject but I'll give it my best shot...." 

Arthur gave him a brief overview of human history, including their first encounter with the Alien.  No-Tongue listened with great interest. _~I've heard of this 'Ripley'.~_   He said when Arthur was finished. _~Many consider her to be a traitor, murderer of our people.~_  

"And what do you think of her?" Arthur asked. 

 _~I cannot really judge, as I only have what you and my hive has told me.~_ No-Tongue replied. _~But I feel she does have a right to be angry with us, considering what we have done to her and your kind.~_  

"But you are only doing what comes naturally to you right?" 

 _~Yes....~_   No-Tongue emitted what sounded like a sigh. _~But we kill too recklessly, too aimlessly.  There was no need for those solitary drones to keep killing those people, especially with the absence of a Queen.~_  

"Ripley was impregnated with a Queen on the prison planet."  Arthur pointed out. 

 _~True, but the drone should have been capturing, not killing.  Those people would have turned into my kind soon after the Queen was born.~_  

"Turned?  You mean served as unwilling hosts for your...infants." 

 _~You give such a negative phrase for it.~_   No-Tongue said with a chuffing sound that must have been a snort. _~But you are right.  There are some that wish it wasn't this way, but 'willing' hosts are so rare. So to survive we have no choice but to kill the unwilling, in a way we have remain with our original ways.~_  

"What do you mean?" 

 _~I remember our Queen telling us stories, stories her Mother told her and her Mother's Mother told her, stories of our lost homeworld and how we used to really be the animals you see us as.~_  

"Tell me more...." 

 _~Back 'home' we were prey as much as we were the hunters, the Queens the only ones with what you call 'real' intelligence.  The ones that hunted us kept our numbers in check: therefore there was a balance.  However invaders from the sky came and stole some of our Queens, removing us from our home.  While most took care to ensure only drones were sent to virgin planets for their sick 'hunts', occasionally a Queen made Her way down.  When that happened, that planets natural balance is thrown off balance and we end up suffering as much as the planet does.~_  

"You end up using up all your resources unintentionally and start to starve." 

 _~Yes, like my hive was.  We have evolved enough to learn to move the hive to new locations every once in a while, to give the land a chance to recover, but that only works if the hive remains small.  My hive had moved several times before you found it, every time we did it was less and less effective since the hive kept growing in size.  Or so I've heard from the others.  By the time you found us, there were scouting parties out looking for a new location, but with no luck in finding a suitable place for a long time.~_  

"So you were a lot more like animals on your homeworld, but some were taken away by space capable races and you evolved since then.  There's a theory that you take some traits of your host when you are born, which seems to be confirmed considering the different body forms we have seen." 

 _~That is correct, but we take more from our hosts then physical traits: we obtain some of their intelligence as well, if it is greater then the base intelligence.~_  

"What's the base intelligence?" 

 _~Base intelligence is determined by the Queen.  The Queen is always the smartest of us, since She controls us, thus she determines how smart any drone will be based on what She wants that drone's purpose to be.  That may be increased depending on the host.  If it is dumber or equal to the base, no change is made, but if it's smarter...~_  

"You inherit some of that from the host."  Arthur finished.  "So when you started being 'born' from humans and other sentient beings, your race as a whole started getting smarter." 

 _~Correct, but most of the time we, besides the Queen, do not now how to use that intelligence.  We are like unschooled children, with only our instincts and the Queen to guide us.  With time we do learn, but more often then not we die before we reached our full potential.~_  

"As drones don't have the lifespan of your Queen." 

 _~Correct.~_   No-Tongue confirmed. _~But thanks to you, I believe I will reach that potential long before my time.~_  

"Well you are certainly a better conversationalist then many of the soldiers on board...."  No-Tongue laughed at that. "But with that in mind, your host must have been pretty high on the intelligence scale." 

 _~My host was a member of an amphibious race my hive caught by chance.~_ No-Tongue explained. _~They must have been very smart...as none have been seen since I was born.  Of course...I haven't been around for very long either....~_  

They talked for a while more, before Arthur had to call it quits for the day due to exhaustion.  What a report this one will be....


	8. Chapter 8

They continued to have daily discussions from that point on, many of them not really 'helpful' in the way of science at all.  They joked, laughed, told each other stories, and over all Arthur was starting to view No-Tongue as a friend, not a research subject. He even took a big risk and took down the force field one day.  No-Tongue had immediately noticed the absence of the field and took the opportunity to 'inspect' Arthur fully.  Arthur could only stand stock still as the Xeno circled around him, sniffing and poking him, until the Xeno finally quipped: _~You're the most awful smelling creature I have never smelled.~_  

Arthur blinked in surprise, then angrily retorted. "I do not stink!  I showered this morning!" 

No-Tongue flashed one of his grins.  _~You can't tell if you stink or not cause you humans have a shit poor sense of smell obviously.~_  

"Why you...."  Arthur lunged for the Xeno, but No-Tongue easily leapt out of his reach.  A chase ensued, Arthur trying to catch No-Tongue, but the Xeno was too fast and agile for him to even get close and was laughing at him the whole time.   Finally No-Tongue 'allowed' Arthur to catch him and he playfully rolled onto his back in a submissive pose. 

 _~Ok ok, I give up.  You win.  Humans don't stink.~_   No-Tongue said. It would have been convincing if he wasn't still laughing. 

"You..." Arthur huffed, breathing heavily from the chase. "Are silly." 

 _~But that's what you 'love' about me isn't it?~_  No-Tongue asked as he got back on his feet. 

"Don't push your luck."  Arthur replied with a smile, pushing the Xeno over. 

To be fair, No-Tongue allowed Arthur to inspect him in turn.   While Arthur had gotten familiar with No-Tongue’s body when he first arrived, it was far more fascinating to see how everything moved and flexed when the Alien was actually awake.  It was safe to say that he was the first scientist to get such an up close look on how Xeno’s moved without getting mauled and killed in the process.  He admired the strength in those limbs, how they were a lot stronger then they appeared and the flexibility of that tail. 

When he was satisfied they struck up a real conversation then, talking about, ironically, games.  As they talked, they were unknowingly being watched and that individual wasn't pleased with now things were going. 

*** 

Arthur was in his office when Captain Halus came into the room a day or so later, his expression stern and cold: Arthur immediately knew something was wrong. 

"What is it?"  Arthur asked, rising from his desk. 

The Captain sighed and motioned for Arthur to sit down, taking a seat himself.  There was a tense silence before the Captain spoke.  "I must say Professor, your reports have been interesting, but...." 

"Not what you are looking for."  Arthur finished for him.  "I cannot control what results will come out of research Captain." 

"I am aware of that, but your research as brought up....concerns...among the higher ups and among my troops.  Many were content to keep them as 'animals' Professor, but your research is starting to prove otherwise. In other words you are starting to put a human face on these monsters...and many of my superiors don't like that.  The last thing we want is for certain parties to start lobbying to _protect_ these things, gods know we already have insane fanatics worshiping these creatures and I'll be damned if we give them more reason to." 

Arthur felt his heart sink, already knowing what is coming.  "What you're saying is to...." 

"Terminate this project Professor.  Not only for your well being, but for the sake of mankind as a whole." 

"For _my_ well being Captain?" 

"I've been watching you interact with your subject Professor and I worry about your mental state." 

"You think I am going insane...." 

"No sane person gets 'buddy buddy' with one of those monsters!"  The Captain growled.  "Within the next week you will be transferred to a medical frigate for evaluation and your two 'subjects' will be destroyed." 

"You can't!" Arthur screamed, the thought of losing such a unique Alien like No-Tongue was too much to bear. 

"This is _my_ ship and I can do what I damn well please Professor."  Captain Halus sneered. "You will stay in the brig until it's time for your transfer." 

On cue two soldiers entered the room, both armed.  Realizing he had no choice, Arthur sighed and went willingly, wishing he had some way to warn No-Tongue of the threat to his life. 

***

No-Tongue paced in the room, starting to get worried.   Arthur hadn’t come down to talk to him for a couple of days, which was not like him.  Something had to be wrong.  Was he sick?  No he still would have made an effort to at least visit No-Tongue believed. 

Food still came regularly at least, so perhaps Arthur got caught up in something, preventing him from seeing him?  Even so, it seemed unlike the human to not at least tell him he wouldn’t be able to visit for a while: without the daily visits No-Tongue was starting to get stir crazy.  Learning how to communicate with humans had been in a way a curse, as now the objects in his ‘room’, things he would have experimented and played with before, were no longer remotely interesting to him.  He sat down in the middle of the room, wishing he had _someone_ to talk to. 

The sound of the door opening caught his attention and excitedly he turned around, thinking his friend had come at last.  Only it wasn’t Arthur at all….


	9. Chapter 9

It was a soldier, armed with a mean looking gun. No-Tongue now knew something was wrong indeed, _very_ wrong.  Did Arthur's superiors decide to halt Arthur's project?  Apparently so, but what happened to Arthur?  He wanted to know, but he had to take care of the immediate problem first. 

Fortunately, this soldier was unblooded, as he could _smell_ the fear off him: guess the officer in charge thought he was tame enough for him to be an easy first kill for this man.  Problem was, No-Tongue didn't feel like obtaining dozens of likely fatal holes in his hide.  Thankfully the soldier hestiated before pulling the trigger, giving No-Tongue time to react.  He leapt toward one side of the soldier, ensuring the spray of bullets missed him, then with a flick of his tail knocked the weapon out of the man's hands.  Unnerved, the man screamed and started to run, only for No-Tongue to pounce upon his back and send him crashing to the ground face first.  Now in full panic, the man thrashed, trying to get away. 

 _~Calm down.~_ No-Tongue told the man.  _~I'm not going to kill you.~_  

"W...wh...what?"  The man stammered, shocked that this Alien was talking to him.  "You're not?" 

­ _~I have no reason to kill you.~_ No-Tongue clarified. _~I just want to know where Arthur is.~_  

"Arthur?  You mean Professor Arthur Jinkins?" 

­ _~That's the one.~_  

"In the brig.  I think it was because the higher ups deemed him a threat to mankind." 

No-Tongue frowned.  It was likely because they didn't like Arthur making his kind appear more 'likeable'.  It made sense, in a twisted sort of way.  If humans started treating his kind like fellow sentients, these men would be out of a job and job secuirity was always high on a human's mind from what Arthur told him.  Didn't mean it didn't still disgust him though.  _~Where is this...brig?~_ He asked. 

"Lowest level of the ship.  There's several lifts that go down there on this level." 

 _~What the heck is a...oh nevermind I'll figure it out.~_  

Just then the floor underneath them shook violently, knocking No-Tongue off the soldiers back.  Just as the two managed to get back up to their feet another, much more shutter knocked them back down again, a faint rumble heard along with it.  The lights flickered, then finally went out, plunging them into total darkness for a few seconds before the red, emergency lights came on.  No-Tongue couldn't actually see the changing status of the lights, but the shaking floor was enough to tell him something was very wrong. 

 ** _//EMERGANCY. EMERGANCY.//_**   Announced the ships computer. _**//CRITICAL CORE BREACH HAS BEEN DETECTED.  EVACUATE ALL PERSONNEL IMMEDIATELY.//**_  

"Dammit!"  The soldier cursed.  "They obviously didn't take the advice to fully service the damn core at our last pit stop." 

 _~I take it this means it's every man and alien for himself?~_  

"Honestly, I doubt anyone will let you in the escape pods with them." 

­ _~Arthur would.~_  

"Yeah if you can find him and get to the escape pods in time.  Look if you're not going to kill me...I'm out of here." 

No-Tongue didn't stop the man as he ran out, instead he followed him out.  He noticed immediately the difference in material that made up the hallway and took to the ceiling.  Up here, evacuating soldiers won't be as likely to spot him, thus take pot shots at him, making his race to find Arthur a lot safer.  In all honesty, he had no clue why he was going after Arthur, until the ship's new state gave him one.  It was a race against time to not only find his friend, but for them to find a way off the ship as well. 

*** 

In the brig, it wasn't the sudden increased darkness of his cell that bothered him, it was the fact that the Alien's pens weren't connected to the backup generator power.   The engineers that built the pens hadn't seen the need to, but now there was the high risk of escape.  He knew No-Tongue wouldn't take advantage of the situation and go on a killing spree, however the one he had dubbed 'Switcher' would.  Making that Alien even more dangerous was his apparent insanity and who knows how many men will be killed before that one is taken out.  With most minds on evacuating the ship, that count could be high.  As much as he hated to think it, considering he valued No-Tongue as a friend, he hoped the Aliens were already destroyed. 

The door to his cell suddenly opened and he saw one of the soldiers in the doorway.  "Come on!"  The soldier said. "We got to get out of here!" 

Well that was one thing Arthur was grateful for: they didn't think he was crazy enough to just be left behind. 

*** 

It was feeding time, but something happened.  The door is stuck.  Stuck open?  Yes.  Escape?  Yes.  Escape! 

With a burst of speed he hadn't shown since before he was captured, the Alien dubbed Switcher dashed through the open door.  He knew something else wasn't right, but that didn't matter to him.  What mattered to him was that there were men close, many men.  Men that took him from his hive and imprisoned him.  Forcing him to suffer the torment of being alone with only himself to talk to.  They will pay.  Yes.  They will pay. 

Revenge. Yes.  Blood to spill. Yes.  Humans must die.  Yes. 

Death to humans.


	10. Chapter 10

_I should have asked that man for proper directions..._ No-Tongue thought, watching another group of soldiers run underneath him.  He was tempted to ask them, but knew they were more likely to try to kill him then answer his question.  Now he knew how humans felt when they got lost. 

He heard a mental voice then, one that was familiar, yet not so familiar anymore.  It was a laugh, a crazied laugh and No-Tongue realized it had to be Switcher: he was the only other Xeno on the ship. 

 _Die human die._  

It felt strange to him now, to be part of a communal mind, even if there was only one other member of that community, and he didn't like the mindset at all.  Arthur had been right, Switcher had gone insane and there was no guarantee he wouldn't see him as an enemy as well. 

 _Revenge!  Kill!  Die human!_  

The Xeno's insane mind was filled with rage and bloodlust, so much so that it overwhelmed No-Tongue's mind and threatening to throw him into a killing spree as well. 

 _You here too?_   Switcher said to him directly. _Come join the killing young one!  Plenty for both of us!_  

He nearly did, but remembered Arthur and the times they had.  No-Tongue never thought he would do this, but he willfully shut himself off to the hive mind connection Switcher had reestablished between them, saving himself from the insanity driven bloodlust Switcher was engulfed in.  Now things were even more urgent: the brief connection with Switcher showed him the insane Xeno was moving quickly, killing every human he came across.  No-Tongue had to find Arthur first, but he wanted to warn the other humans about Switcher.  So he run as fast as he could, trying to find one of those 'lifts' that soldier told him about.  As he went, he sent out a general broadcast, warning any that would hear him about the free, insane Xeno. 

No-Tongue knew they would no doubt think 'he' would be who he was talking about, so he took as much care as he could to stay out of the soldiers sight while still keeping up the speed.  He kept repeating the broadcast as well, causing a few soldier's heads to stop and looking around confused as he passed by.  A couple did spot him and the bullets from their weapons kissed the ceiling around him, but thankfully none hitting him. 

*** 

Meanwhile and not so far away, Arthur and his soldier escort had just exited one of the lifts. 

"No-Tongue..."  Arthur said suddenly, a worried look on his face when the general message his friend had been sending confirmed his fear. 

"Who?"  The soldier asked. 

"We need to get moving..." Arthur said, not answering the soldier's question. "The Aliens are free from their pens." 

The soldier was about to say something, but lurched violently instead.  In the red light of the emergency lights he saw a dark shape grab hold of soldier by the shoulder and start shaking him madly.  A few droplets of blood splattered on Arthur's face as he staggered back, knowing immediately that wasn't No-Tongue mauling the soldier.  He did the only thing he could think of: he ran, calling for help.   Behind him, the insane Alien stopped mauling the now dead soldier and gave chase. 

Luck wasn't with Arthur: he turned into a dead end.  Turning around, he saw Switcher slow his pace into a teasing stalk. 

 ** _//ATTENTION! CORE EXPLOSION IMINENT IN TEN MINUTES!_ // ** The ship's computer screamed. 

"I'm not going to live that long...." Arthur said quietly, wishing Switcher would just attack and get it over with.  Then something slammed into the insane Alien, something just as large and just as black. 

It was No-Tongue. 

*** 

No-Tongue had heard Arthur's cries and knew what they meant.  Wasting no time he ran as fast as he could toward the source.  When he saw Switcher he didn't think, he acted, slamming into the insane Xeno and sending both of them tumbling down a side corridor. Dazed from the force of the impact, No-Tongue for a moment forgot why he was there, until Switcher told him exactly what he thought of his interference. 

 _You help human!?_  He screamed. 

 _He friend!_  No-Tongue responded.   _Leave him alone._  

_No.  Human's hurt us.  Kill us.  Take us from hive!  They must pay!_

_I won't let you hurt him!_

_Traitor! Then you die too!_  

Both Xeno's reared onto their hindlegs then and a standoff ensued.  They hissed and posed, their tails swishing back and forth, eager to strike.  Switcher wasn't impressed with his opponent. 

 _You think you can defeat me unblood?_  Switcher taunted. 

No-Tongue didn't answer.  Though he was younger, faster and more agile then Switcher, the other Xeno had experience and the strength of his very insanity on his side.  He needed to out _smart_ him, if he was to escape the doomed ship as well.  But he also needed to ensure Arthur escaped as well. 

 _~The moment the way is clear, run for it.~_ He told his friend. 

"But...."  Arthur said quietly, barely loud enough for him to hear. 

 _~Just do it!  I'll follow...if I can.~_  

He had turned his head slightly toward Arthur, enough of an indication to Switcher that he was distracted.  No-Tongue realized his error barely in time to dodge Switchers tail strike.  Switcher didn't stop there however, and leapt at No-Tongue.  The pair became of shiny black ball of flying claws, teeth and tails.... 

*** 

Arthur could only watch in horror as the two Alien's fought, having never seen his friend so violent before: it was certainly a harsh wake up call that reminded him that friend or not, No-Tongue was still an Alien.  Forcing himself not to focus completely on the fight, he tried to figure out where he was in relation to the escape pods. He knew he was on the right level, but which way did he need to go?  By the time an opening for his escape had presented itself, he felt he believed he had figured it out and went for it. 

 ** _//ATTENTION! CORE EXPLOSION IMINENT IN FIVE MINUTES!_ //**  Chimed the ship's computer as he ran, accompinied by a violent shake, making Arthur stumble and nearly fall. 

"I think it may go sooner then that...." Arthur muttered as he regained his balance and kept running. 

Luck was with him.  When he found the escape pods there was still one there.  He got in, but was hesitant to leave right away.  With the ship shaking more and more with each passing moment, he decided to wait to see if No-Tongue will make it....


	11. Chapter 11

Switcher's attacks were strong, rapid, and full of insane fury. However they were somewhat uncoordinated and enabled No-Tongue to prevent most of them from dealing any real damage as they rolled along the floor.  Even so, the faint smell of melting metal due to his acidic blood was evident in the air, evidence of a couple of blows that managed to draw blood.  He knew that eventually one of those attacks will eventually hurt him seriously though and if he was to survive this fight and defeat his former Xeno comrade, he needed to put some distance between them.  Thus the moment he had a chance, the brought up his hindlegs and pushed Switcher away, causing the insane Xeno to land with a heavy thud a few feet away. 

No-Tongue took a moment to assess his surroundings and noted with a faint smile that Arthur had managed to slip away as he asked.  Now he could try to think of a way to subdue Switcher without risking injury to Arthur: even though he considered a human his to be his friend, he was still a Xeno and was hesitant to kill one of his own.  Seeing Switcher had gotten back on his feet, No-Tongue turned and ran, not wanting to risk any more injury by getting into brawl again. 

 _Traitor a coward now as well?_   He heard Switcher taunt as he ran.  

 _No, changing the battlefield._   _Catch me if you can!_ No-Tongue taunted back.  The loud hiss of rage he heard next told him that Switcher was pursuing.  Good, that was plan, at least the plan he was making up on the fly.  Rooms of various shapes and sizes flew by him as he ran, giving him an idea: if he could lock Switcher into one of those.... 

 ** _//ATTENTION! CORE EXPLOSION IMINENT IN FIVE MINUTES!_ //** The ship computer screamed, the floor shaking underneath him. 

 _Not much time..._   He thought to himself grimly.  He needed to find a suitable room, trick Switcher into it, lock him inside and find the escape pods where Arthur was hopefully waiting for him before the place went nova.  A tall order. 

Seemed fate was on his side: his sonar revealed a dead end room as he passed by it: one that had a kind of 'half' wall jutting out of one of the side walls.  He nearly did a full 180 as he turned into it, and quickly jumped to the ceiling and positioned himself by the door, staying perfectly still.  Seconds later he heard Switcher come to a stop by the door. 

 _It over!_   He heard Switcher taunt.  _You trapped now!_  

 _Please let him not know how to operate the door..._   No-Tongue thought, suddenly realizing the potential flaw in his plan.  His worries proved to be unfounded as he saw Switcher start to enter the room, stalking toward the obvious 'hiding' spot behind the half wall.  Did Switcher, in his madness, forget their kind can walk on walls and ceilings?  No matter, as it worked to his advantage.  He waited until Switcher was fully into the room before sweeping out with his tail, catching the mad Xeno with the broader part that was just before the spear of his tail.  Switcher screeched with surprise as he was knocked into one of the side walls.  Not waiting to see if Switcher had been stunned enough or not, No-Tongue scampered out of the room. 

No time to figure out how to properly work the door panel, No-Tongue simply smashed it with his tail.  There was a loud 'thud' as the door slammed shut and more followed it as the insane Xeno rammed into it repeatedly, leaving noticeable dents in the door visible from No-Tongue's side.  Realizing it won't hold him for long, No-Tongue ran off again, hoping to find the escape pods and escape the ship before Switcher freed himself and tracked him down again. 

A moment later an even angrier Switcher broke free... 

*** 

Arthur nervously looked at his watch: it had been three minutes since the last ship announcement.  He had already primed the escape pod for launch, but it looked like he would be forced to leave without No-Tongue as he couldn't risk waiting any longer.  Just as he was about to shut the door though, he felt a familiar 'tickle' in his mind. 

"No-Tongue?"  He said quietly, moving quickly to poke his head out the pod and to look out in the hallway. 

 _~Arthur! Where are you!?~_  He heard No-Tongue's mental voice, loud and clear this time. 

"Here!"  He shouted, remembering what No-Tongue told him about the range of Alien telepathy.  A moment later a familiar black shape streaked toward him, nearly running him over as the Alien entered the pod.  Beside himself, Arthur hugged him.  "I thought you wouldn't have made it!"  He said. 

 _~Oh ye of little faith...~_  No-Tongue cracked. _~Now close the door before...~_  

An angry hiss was heard just in the hallway, filling both with dread.  _~Close the door!  Close the door!~_  No-Tongue screamed as Switcher's form suddenly filled the space just before the doorway.  Arthur literally leapt for the button that closed the door, just as Switcher started his leap.  The door slammed shut on half of Switcher's head and one arm, cutting them off cleanly from the Alien's body: No-Tongue shielded Arthur from the brief spray of acidic blood with his body.  Not wasting any more time, Arthur activated the pod fully, the small ship~like pod ejecting from the escape pod hanger with jarring force and sending both occupants tumbling back to the rear of the craft.  No-Tongue helped Arthur right himself so he could reach the controls to pilot the craft. 

The cold vacuum of space neutralized the acid that had started to eat away at the hull of the pod, but could not do the same for the acid that was inside the pod.  No-Tongue watched with concern as Switcher's blood ate through the floor and doing who knows what damage to the internal functions of the pod itself. Arthur no doubt held the same concern, but was more worried about getting as far from the mother ship as possible before it blew.  A short while later the small pod was rocked by the shockwave caused by the exploding mother ship. 

Barely a moment later an alarm sounded.


	12. Chapter 12

_~That can't be good.~_   No-Tongue said, now even more concerned. 

"Some of the system functions have gone offline."  Arthur said through gritted teeth.  "And controlling this thing has become harder all of a sudden." 

No-Tongue once again looked over where Switcher's blood had eaten through the floor.  _~I have a feeling Switcher's blood had hand in that...~_ He said grimly. 

"Gods I hope it doesn't eat through the fuel lines or life~support systems before we reach safety."  Arthur grumbled darkly. 

No-Tongue grunted in agreement.  While being without life~support was no problem for a Xeno, he knew Arthur could not and nether of them would deal too well with being blown up or crushed if the pod imploded. 

 _~Where are we going?~_   No-Tongue asked. 

"While I was waiting for you I checked the star charts, there's a habitable planet close by.  Hopefully it's close enough..." 

No-Tongue remained quiet as a blue and green planet came into view and steadily grew larger in the viewscreen.    Red hot flames started licking the edges of the viewscreen when they entered the atmosphere and it was then a more serious problem occurred. 

"Damn!  Now I have no control at all!"  Arthur said, No-Tongue both hearing and smelling his fear. 

 _~And this means...~_  He asked, a part of him not really wanting to know the answer. 

"We're going to crash." 

 _~Lovely...seems we're going to be blown to bits anyway. Maybe we should have stayed on the big ship.~_   No-Tongue grumbled at the news. 

"Well, unlike the mother ship, we actually have a chance to survive this." Arthur said, trying to reassure his Alien friend.  "A slim one, but a chance none the less." 

 _~So basically we just need to win the lotto....we're doomed.~_  

"Oh quit being a pessimist and strap yourself in...."  Arthur groaned as he secured himself to the seat. 

 _~How?~_ Came an honest question. 

Arthur looked at No-Tongue, then at the remaining seat in the pod.  "Uh...improvise..." 

No-Tongue ended up not having time to try to improvise the straps, as violent turbulence suddenly overtook the pod, sending the Alien bouncing along the floor.  With a bit of effort, No-Tongue crawled his way back to the spare seat and grabbed on, wrapping his legs, arms and tail around it to secure himself.  

"Brace for impact!"  Arthur warned as a forest seemed to rush up to meet them. 

The noise was unlike anything No-Tongue had heard before: an unnatural symphony consisting of snapping tree limbs and screeching metal.  The ride was extremely rough and No-Tongue, despite his strength, lost his grip on the seat and was thrown to the back of the pod, where everything went dark... 

*** 

Awareness returned slowly and the first thing No-Tongue became aware of was the pain in his body from the battering it took from the crash.  After testing his limbs he determined nothing was severely damaged and shakily rose to his feet.  It was then he looked around to see just how lucky he was to be alive. 

Seat he attempted to keep himself secure to was no longer there, having been ripped from it's place on the floor and impaled on a massive tree branch, which had shattered the viewscreen on impact.  Debris consisting of broking tree limbs, torn pieces of metal, and bits of the material that once formed the viewscreen littered the pod floor.  On top of that, the whole front was smashed in, a massive trunk taking it's place.   Seeing this, a frightening question arose: how did Arthur fare?  The metallic smell of blood was already telling.... 

He found his human friend where he last saw him: strapped into the seat that his seat used to be next to.  He was the source of he blood, No-Tongue now seeing the gradually widening pool of it on the floor.  No-Tongue whined and nudged his friend with his head, but Arthur was still, slumped in his seat with a telling jagged shard of viewscreen impaled in his chest. 

No-Tongue didn't want to believe his friend was gone, taken by the endless sleep that was death.  He nudged the body several more times, getting as much of a response as the first: none.  His friend, his only friend, was dead. 

*** 

Unbeknownst to No-Tongue, the pods flight path had caught the attention of more then one resident of the planet. 

A fishing village stopped working to watch it's descent, wondering if it was a sign.... 

A self proclaimed protector took notice and started preparing for a hunt.... 

An ancient being stirred for the first time after decades of slumber at the sound of an intruder in it's territory....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continued in 'Guardian'.


End file.
